What Lies At the End of the Rainbow
by Arian Rose Light
Summary: Who would have thought, that at the edge of the rainbow, sat a clearing. And who would have ever thought, that inside that very clearing lives a Fourth at world is the world of Shinobi. A world of bloodshed, lust, greed, death, happiness, despair and tailed beast. Who would have ever thought that one girl would discover what truly lies at the end of the rainbow.
1. Chapter 1

_Who would have thought that on the edge of the rainbow, laid a forest. And who would have ever thought that inside that very forest, live a Fourth World. That world was the world of Shinobi. A world of bloodshed, lust, greed, death, happiness, despair and tailed-beast. Who would have ever thought that one girl would ever discover what truly lies at the end of the rainbow._

"All paradises hide their hell." -Unknown

* * *

**What Lies At The End Of The Rainbow: Chapter 1 **

_Minoku had found the Fourth World by accident. _

She never really had ever thought that something as strange as the rumors claimed to be were true; that if you stayed on the General Six bus to Tokyo until its finally round you'd wind up in some unknown part of the world, where time and space created a hidden dimensional door. In fact, before all this, Minoku had never believed the stories in the Daily Paper.

_Taking a Swim to An Alternate World?_

_Spirited Away?_

_Sucked into Cyber-Space?_

All these stories seemed silly to her. An alternate world, hidden by time and space? She scoffed thinking, _As if. _In fact, Minoku had read several fan fictions more believable than what was happening in the real world. Lightning strike and being sucked into Dragon Ball Z via pool drain? None of that stuff ever happened in the real world. Never. But yet, these unexplained disappearances still had Minoku on a slight edge, more so than she even expected. She even quit riding the General Six bus, her usually bus, to school and home.

The disappearances had everyone on edge, but none more than Minoku. To her belief anyways. She'd scowl as the bus would ride past her walking figure, on it taking a few naïve kids, or stubborn adults that would not stop their morning and evening routine for some silly rumor. Many times, she wish she would hail that bus and ride it herself, just to prove to everybody that, no, she wasn't scared of mere rumors, and yes, that rumor was just a rumor.

But the fear of leaving a sensible reality to one of unknown scared her, as well as many others, as much as she hated to admit it. Rumor or not, Minoku knew from experience that words had power, and she was not going to test what had caused hundreds to disappear in a single night. Whether they end up in Dragon Ball Z or got kidnapped and rapped by a rapist, Minoku had determined herself to straying away from the General Six.

But still, on October seventh, lacking sleep, Minoku hadn't quite been too sure what she was even doing when she'd boarded the General Six, an old habit she had once thought broken six months prior, and sitting herself in the back, her old usual seat. _Five minutes of rest, _she thought sleepily. _Just... five... minutes... _

* * *

_A rainbow._

Minoku had woken up in a green field full of flowers. Red, pink, yellow, blue, purple, all shades of color surrounded her. _This has to be a dream, _she told herself. _No p__lace is like this one our planet anymore. _Destroyed, cut down, and damaged by human nature. By accident, we humans are destroyers, Minoku understood this.

In the bright, azure sky, not even the smallest cloud in sight, Minoku spotted the rainbow. It seemed to be within finger-tip reach, the width of three large houses with every color imaginable and unimaginable. The most furious shades of red, the most calming shades of blue, all these colors, most not known to man, laid before one small, average girl, who had been deemed '_nothing special_' by whatever strange, cosmic force out there.

But there she was, staring at the most beautiful view she knew she would never, ever see again. She tried burning it into her mind, like she was trying too take a mental picture of some kinds. She knew she would never forget this image- the cloudless sky, field of what she deemed 'pure spring', and the shining, warm sun- but at the same time that this image might just not cooperate with her memory, that it might be too much for her mere, five-percent-used brain to handle.

Yet she tried to memorize that beautiful sight she would never see again, yet would always remember, yet not, at the same time. _How could something this beautiful even exist? _she wondered. Nothing logical came to mind. _Is it really possible? Is this an omen? _Awe was the only facial feature to describe Minoku's face. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly gaped open.

Minoku wouldn't have stopped looking had it not been for the piece of pure white she notice waver from the corner of her eye. She tore her gaze away and looked down at herself. No longer was she in her school uniform- a black skirt, white socks, black shoes, and a white short sleeve with a black collar- but now she was in a white nightgown, the piece of pure white she had seen from her peripheral vision. Even her hair, once short and messy, was fitted into an elegant braid down the spine of her back. She had shoes and no school bag. Anything from her past life of casualty, repetitiveness, and normalcy seemed to be gone. Even her braces and need for glasses, to which she did not mind (having braces on in middle school was demeaning).

"Is this... me?" she whispered quietly, not seeming to recognize her own voice seeing she had turned around wildly for the source. She looked down at herself. "How _is _this me?"

Minoku gazed at the tiny, true peaceful world around herself. _I want to stay here, _she thought suddenly. _I want to stay here, so my children will experience the beauty of this place, and my children's children. I want my life to be beautiful, just like this clearing. _She couldn't wish for anything more than a happy, fulfilled life. But yet, it seemed she was missing something in her paradise.

_What was it? _

A flower. That's what she was missing. The most beautiful, most perfect, most greatly smelling flower. Gazing at the field, full of the most rare, unknown and simply beautiful flowers around her, she couldn't help but frown. How was she to find one flower within this heaven? But yet, something told her she had to find this missing link. She in an effort to see more of her paradise and find her missing link, Minoku started at a slow walk, taking in the rainbow, the sky, the flowers and the smell, but by the end of it she had started running.

Flower petals were kicked up as she ran, her arms out like a plane's, as the petals gently were swept up by gravity and brought slowly down to Earth all around her. Her voice broke out in giggles at first, but became full out laughs of joy towards the end. Only when that teeny, tiny plot of orange in her side vision caught her attention did she even slow down and stop.

She gazed at it from her place- a good ten feet between the two. Just staring at it from where she stood, so far away, she could already see its beauty, and why it had made her stop. It was simple, painfully so. It was pure orange- something Minoku only had identified on the rainbow above her- with a straight, thin line of blue, one that was not quite azure, but yet was not blue blue, between the middle of each petal, making a circle inside the tiny flower.

As Minoku stared at the flower, she couldn't help but realize how much she and that flower seemed to be alike. Not only was orange her favorite color, but the flower seemed tinier compared to most of them in the field, just under them by an inch or so. It's two bottom leaves were a pure green, artistic even, only causing the flower to remind her of what had been her old life. A great personality, just a bit shorter than the usual bunch, with fast feet and artistic hands.

She walked towards the tiny flower and crouched onto her knees, gazing it softly. "Hello," she whispered quietly. "I'm Minoku." The flower said nothing of course, but Minoku still giggled anyways, a small smile and soft blush forming on her pretty face. "Well then, you're very pretty too." Only in the very far back of her mind did she realize she was talking to a flower.

A neighbor had once told Minoku that flowers, trees, and bushes loved being rustled and talked to, and that microscopically, they responded in small movements, unseen to the human eyes. Only then did she believe it. _The missing link. _The tiny thought had sparked Minoku's determination, as she softly dug her hands around the tiny flower. As she pulled it out, the strangest thing had happened (not that things hadn't been strange before). The dirt around the flower became solid, forming into a tiny pot, just big enough to hold the flower.

_I feel completed. _

Then suddenly a large gust of wind blew, causing her to squeal and close herself in a bit, holding tightly and protecting her flower. Her eyes were forced shut as breathing became a labored act. _In and out, _she reminded herself as what felt like her lungs compressing pain erupted in her chest. _In and out. _The moment it stopped, Minoku sensed the small, almost unbelievable change in the atmosphere. It seemed more... cold.

Her opened her eyes softly, blinking them open slowly only for her face to contort in horror. Hundreds of girls, all dressed in different colored dresses like her own, littered the ground in front of her. Their eyes were all shut as they slept peacefully on the ground, one bright, illuminating flower next to each of their heads. Minoku recognized some of the faces that slept from the Daily Paper in the _Missing _section.

"What-_huh_?" The word was illogical to Minoku, yet it seemed to be the only word to fill in the bitter quietness. "_How_?" Another simple, illogical answer that seemed only suitable for this outcome. Never had she dreamed her paradise was a graveyard of sleeping girls.

She couldn't help but glance at her flower. _What is this? _she wondered quietly. A tiny voice entered her head, whispering the answers she sought. She was stunned, so much that she froze over. Her grip on her orange flower tightened as she unconsciously wrapped her arms around it, as if to hug it. "B-b-but... t-this was p-p-p-paradise," she mumbled, her voice shaking terribly.

The last few words shook Minoku to her very soul.

**_"All paradises hide their hell."_ **

Then suddenly she was falling. Her eyes started shutting slowly as fell, the pure white dress around her rose up slowly, just as slow as she fell. She gazed at the rainbow one last time before her eyes shut, thinking, _I-I don't want to die._

* * *

A voice chuckled in the back of Minoku's mind, an evil sound of knowing the future and what could happen.

_**"Silly Mortal, you are not heading to hell, but you wish you had when you wake up. After all..."**_

The voice was fading slowly, getting quieter and quieter until it was only a buzz of a bee.

**_"Where you're going, no one will ever be safe again."_**


	2. Chapter 2

"Why aren't you running?" -Naruto

* * *

**What Lies at the End of the Rainbow: Chapter 2 **

_Minoku had toppled the orange-clad boy by accident._

A giant headache resided in Minoku's head. It hurt horribly, so bad she was having trouble thinking. She heard the rustling of branches and for a dazed moment thought, _Where am I? _But of course, a few moments later, only then was everything recollected. The bus (old habits die hard), the rainbow, the dress, paradise, the flower, the girls. Involuntary chills rose up in Minoku. She shivered as she opened her eyes weakly.

A tree. Minoku was in a tree, at least a few yards off the ground. Thick branches, heavy with leaves, surrounded her, her flower, she discovered, was now wrapped in her braided hair. She glanced back, her head pounding. She was no longer in the white dress, but was in a gray sweatshirt, black shorts, and fishnet to the knees and elbows. She sighed as she rested her head in the branch. Her pounding heart was really the only noise she could hear; not even the wind ruffling the branches made a sound.

_Why hadn't I paid attention that night? _she thought bitterly. _I could be at home right now, drinking hot chocolate and watching T.V. I wouldn't have to deal with weird clearings, kidnappings, and the fact the General Six most likely rammed itself into a wall and that I'm- in reality- dead or in a coma. _She sighed, the bitterness finding exit within herself. It didn't stop her from scolding herself. She wanted to think, _Why me? _but very well knew she couldn't, for then she'd think, _Why not me? _

Damn her twisted logical responses. Damn her for being too aware and smart for her age.

It was when Minoku glanced down that a hysterical chuckle escaped her lips.

Minoku was high; so high into the tree that the ground before her looked like she had to gaze through a telescope. The colors blurred for a second and she cursed; was she possibly loosing her sight again? She preferably _liked _not being "blind", as she called it. She was hoping it was the terror of looking so far down off the ground. After a moment, she shook her head and thought, _No. I'd rather loose my vision again than be afraid of heights._

She carefully placed her feet on some stable branches, her breathing low and shallow as her heart raced. She knew she should have nothing to worry about: so what if she stumbled a bit? Her other foot would catch her.

Right?

"Steady, Minoku..." she muttered to herself. "Steady-"

Not steady enough.

Her foot slipped, along with the rest of her body as she and her flower tumbled down from the tree, screaming in fear at opposing death. Only... it never came. Minoku landed on something as she and the thing went crashing to the ground. It heaved with an, "Oof!" and instantly she leaped off the thing. It was a person, a boy to be exact.

He wore a scowl on his face as he glared down slightly at Minoku with his crystalline blue eyes, rubbing the back of his spikey blonde hair. He wore an orange jumpsuit, with blue and white accents, with a weird pouch attached to his leg with some bandages. He wore something Minoku had found on _Ebay_ several times called 'ninja sandals' with a pair of goggles on his head. He had three whiskers marking the sides of his face as he continued glaring at the small girl.

She shifted uncomfortably as she mumbled, "Sorry about that. My foot... slipped." _Wow, what a horrible excuse. _He blinked for a second, confusion in his eyes. "Why aren't you running?" the boy asked. Minoku blinked herself, asking, "What do you mean?"

"I'm a monster, so aren't you going to go screaming to your parents about something I apparently did?"

Minoku scratched the back of her head. "Two things; one) I'm not even sure where I am, much less who you are and two) I... I don't have my family with me." The boy blinked at her response as she wiped her eyes, scowling at herself. "Damnit... I'm already crying..." she mumbled as the blonde boy took a step closer. "So you're... _not _going to try to hurt me?" he asked cautiously. She blinked in a sort of horror.

"Why would I do anything like that?"

The boy circled her, as if looking for weak points for if she attacked suddenly. She rose her eyebrows (she just couldn't seem to raise only one) as she asked, "What are you doing?"

"You don't have any weapon on you, do you?" he asked. She shook her head as she glanced down at herself. "If I do, please tell me. I'd like to know I'm armed next time I'm almost mugged (don't ask)," she stated as she glanced herself over. Nothing out of the ordinary... ish. Her clothes were always another mattered, along with where she was. She blinked. _Where _am _I exactly anyways? _she wondered. She decided to voice her opinion.

"Where are we?" she asked. The boy stopped and stared at her, as if asking, _Are you serious?_ "We're in the forest outside the Hidden Leaf Village, Konohagakure," he answered in a _Ah d__uh _tone. Minoku chuckled weakly. "And where's that?" she asked. He blinked at her, before stating, "What do you mean 'Where is that?' It's here. Everyone's at least _heard _of Konoha. It may have a different name but it's the same basis."

_Konoha... _

Now that she thought of it, the name _did _have a ring to it. Something about ninjas... She felt herself freeze over as the realization hit her. _Spirited Away_, as stupid and unbelievable as it sounded, had happened to _her_. She'd some how ended up in _Naruto _via pool drain! Or in this case rainbow! She chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh yeah, I'm sorry. Sometimes that'll happen," she excused lamely. "My brain will go dead and I'll forgot the basic stuff I should know." After a moment, she added, "Like how to climb a tree."

Against what Naruto seemed to want, he still cracked a smile at the comment. "So you aren't from around here then?" he asked. Minoku shifted her weight slightly as she shook her head. She was telling the truth, in terms. It was just... probably not going to be the truth he was looking for. "I'm from..." She furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance as she tried to think of all the possible lands in Naruto. "The Land of Iron," she finished as she sighed with relief on the inside. The Land of Iron had no ninjas, she knew that much, so she'd be able to explain her minimal to none chakra size if it ever came up. She was also lucky her father had made her take the basics of kendo.

"I was supposed to check in with the..." _Crap! What was his name? Something Age... um... A Cage? No... Kage? A Ho... kage? _"...with the Hokage, but I lost track of time and ended up falling asleep there. I should probably go and see him." She shifted around. As much (and little) as she knew about _Naruto_ she'd prided herself in remembering where everything in the Leaf Village was. Than again, that had been three years ago when she'd loved the show and it'd been all she could talk about.

"And since I'm new here... could you show me to the Hokage's office?" It came out more like a question, which she didn't mind see as Naruto had gained a slightly hostile look. "What're you doing here from the Land of Iron?" he asked as he took a slight step forward. She chuckled weakly as she mirrored him and took a small step back. "I'm here to... um..." _What can I do that'll give me a good reason to help out here!? _she thought in a slight panic. _All I was ever really good at was kendo... _She grinned in triumph. _That's it! _"I'm here to give the Academy students basic sword training," she finally answered, full of confidence.

Naruto's eyes lit up slightly, and he grinned as he said, "Really? Well then, I guess you can follow me! I'll take you to Grandpa!" On that note, Naruto grinned and turned around and started walking, causing Minoku to call out a "Wait!" and rush up to him, panting out, "I-I never got... y-your name..." He blinked slightly, narrowing his eyes, as if deciding on whether or not to tell her.

"Tell me your's first," he stated instead. She glanced up at him as she straightened herself, hoping that she mimicked a well-trained samurai, and answered, "Minoku Susuki of the Land of Iron." Naruto frowned for a brief second, before grinning widely as he said, "My name's Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm going to be the future Hokage!" Minoku rose her eyebrows (she couldn't seem to raise only one).

"Isn't that the highest position in the... Leaf Village?" Man, she really needed to jog her memory, it was failing on her and she was barely an hour into her old favorite show. Naruto nodded as they began walking, soon exiting from the forest into the busy and crowded streets of Leave Village. "Yep! And I'm going to be the best Hokage there ever was too!" he stated proudly.

"Better than even the..." _Um... who died sealing... something into someone? The... the fourth one right? God I hope so. _"Fourth Hokage?" I finished late. He nodded, not bothered at all by my slow replies. "Better than the Fourth himself, believe it! And he even saved the village from the Nine-Tailed fox!" _Nine-Tailed fox? _At the mere mention of the beast's name, the whole street got quiet as they murmured among themselves. Minoku only caught snippets, such as, "There _it_ is!" or "Why's she with the demon?" _It? _Minoku glanced around, and noticed that Naruto's shoulders seem to drop slightly as his hands clenched together.

_Was... was Naruto that sealing container for _it_? _she wondered as the villagers glared at them. In an unreasonably, but purposeful, loud voice, she practically yelled, "Wow, Naruto! I'm sure you'll be able to be the _best _Hokage _ever_!" The blonde stopped short as he turned to stare at her with wide, sky blue eyes. She blinked in confusion as she stopped walking and slowed to a stop a few feet in front of Naruto. "Naruto? Come on, the Hokage's going to mad if we arrive any later," she pointed out falsely, biting the inside of her cheek. The blonde snapped out of his daze as he grinned, and starting running full-out ahead of Minoku, causing her to gap at him.

"Hurry up, Minoku-chan!" She took off after him, crying, "NARUTO-KUN! SLOOOW DOOWN!"

* * *

_Minoku had never liked lying, but now she had to. _

It was a few minutes later that she and Naruto arrived at the Hokage Tower, it being about midday. Birds chirped as Naruto proudly grinned up at the building. "There it is!" he stated. "The Hokage Tower! The Hokage works at the top in the large office! Be careful though, he usually smokes a pipe up there!" She smiled at him and nodded. "Thanks Naruto. I guess you've got to go though right? Don't you have..." _Shit... um... _"Missions...?" Naruto slumped slightly.

"I'm not a ninja yet; just a plain, old academy student," he stated glumly. He suddenly froze at some newly-realized information as someone screamed, "NAARUUTOO!"

"Ah crap!"

Naruto tried running for it, but wasn't fast enough seeing as the man grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his color and held him up like a puppy. "NARUTO! YOU'RE TRYING TO SKIP CLASS, AREN'T YOU!?" Minoku yelped loudly as she stumbled back, causing the man to turn to her and for his eyes to soften slightly. "Who are you?" he asked.

"M-M-Minoku S-Susuki!" she stuttered.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Minoku. If you'll excuse me, I'll be taking Naruto to class now-"

"You can't do that!" she interrupted, causing Naruto and the nose-scarred man to glance at her in confusion. "I-I mean... Naruto-kun was... um..."

"Showing her to the Hokage!" Naruto finished with a grin of triumph. The man sighed as he glanced at her. "Was he really?" he asked. She nodded. "He was showing me all the greatest food places too! You see, I'm going to be here for a while and, um... well... you know..." The man-who Minoku swore she knew-sighed and set the orange Academy student down. "I want you at the academy the moment you're down escorting Minoku to Lord Hokage's, do you understand?" the man growled. Naruto bobbed his head with a grin. With that, the man sighed again as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Minoku blinked as Naruto gave her a small, thankful smile. "Thanks, Min-chan. Iruka-sensei can be a real pain sometimes," Naruto thanked. Minoku smiled herself. _Iruka-sensei! I knew I knew him! _she couldn't help but think. "Min-chan?" she questioned instead. He nodded. "I think it's a cute nickname for you!" he stated, a light tinge of blush on his face as he thought was what he'd just said. She blushed too, turning her gaze away. "W-well..." she started. "W-we better go see the Hokage..." Naruto nodded, going back to his usual energetic self as he practically skipped into the building, calling, "Hurry, Min-chan!"

Said girl raced after him, a fond smile on her face as she traveled up all the stairs Naruto had begun climbing. Her legs would kill her for it later, but she didn't care at the moment. She was just happy that Naruto was happy. The vague notes she remembered of Naruto as an academy student were-in fact-vague, but she remembered he had zero-to-none friends and practically everyone hated him. Expect that man-Iruka-sensei-and the Hokage. Wow, Minoku's memory was really failing.

She barely made it to the Hokage's door, she was so tired. "Naruto-kun... please don't run so fast!" she begged. He grinned sheepishly as he scratched behind his head. "Sorry, Min-chan. But Iruka-sensei'll kill me if I'm any more late than I already am! Then I won't get to have ramen!" His face took on a look of pure terror at the thought. "I-I've gotta' go before he limits my ramen rights! See you, Min-chan!"

With that, Naruto seemed to run in a panic as he raced down the hallway and down the millions of stairs again. Minoku sighed heavily as she bit her lip. _Crap... he's probably busy... How am I supposed to do this? _"You can come in," an ancient voice called. Minoku froze as she mechanically opened the door and poked her head in. "S-sorry! I'll come back la-"

"No, no. Come in."

Minoku gulped as she stepped in. "I-I'm sorry," she muttered miserably. "But can I talk to you in private, please?" The man smiled slightly as he nodded, and the moment Minoku stepped into the room, she could tell whatever she said would never be heard outside these walls. "Well, you clearly aren't a child of Konoha, so, how did you get past the guards?" he asked, though Minoku could hear the strain in his voice.

"W-well... you see..." So then she explained everything to him. The General Six bus, the rainbow, paradise, what the voice said to her, waking up in a tree, her flower, falling on Naruto, him bringing her here (after she lied about her origins and what she was doing in Konoha in the first place), and lying-yet-telling-the-truth to Umino Iruka. The whole time, the Hokage didn't even twitch. "And I'm not sure how to get home..." she thought, close to tears. "I had a whole family... friends... a life..." The Hokage's brow furrowed in thought as he tried to think up a solution.

"Well... if I can get the Land of Iron to agree, we can get you a traveler's pass and a citizen's card, and make fake birth records..." he muttered. Minoku glanced up at him, hope clear in her eyes. He looked up at her. "What's your last name, child?" he asked. "S-Susuki!" she stuttered, as she straightened out. "Susuki... You could always be the last of the Susuki..." Minoku felt like she was about to cry again.

"But I have no proof of which you are telling the truth," the Hokage stated suddenly. Minoku's hope shattered. "You could easily be a spy from another land. We did just end a war with Iwa a decade ago, and that we still have bitter feelings with the Hidden Lightning. How do I know you're telling the truth?" Minoku paled. _I-I should have known... It was only expected... How would anyone know I was telling the truth? _She slumped down. "I-I'm sorry to disturb you, Hokage-sama," she muttered. "I'll be leaving... now." _Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry! _

"Wait, child." Minoku stopped at the door, her hand shaking horribly. "I will believe you, but you have to prove you will not do anything, and we have to prove it, by having you go through an interrogation." She froze, her whole body locking up. _W-what'__s w-wrong with a li-little in-in-in-int-t-terroga-gation? W-why am I so-so-so-so-so... _

**Scared? **

A knock at the door forced Minoku to open it. There they both stood, a platinum blonde man and a man with a headband covering his whole head. She felt faint suddenly. _W-w-wasn't Konoha f-famous for their interrogation methods? _It was black after that.

* * *

_Minoku had never felt more afraid. _

"If you don't let me into your mind, then it _will _hurt," Inoichi Yamanaka (as he had introduced himself earlier as) stated, slight hesitance in his voice. Minoku gulped. She'd been in the cell the moment she woke up-Inoichi had said it was the best one they had. Now she was gripping the chair her wrists were tied to in absolute fright. "O-o-okay," she forced out, her knuckles snow white. He chuckled weakly as he put her hands on her hand and-

* * *

_Where was she? _

_"Neh, Papa!" a voice called. The sound of tapping feet against floorboards. "Why can't you stay a little longer?"_

_A sad smile of a blurred face._

_"Because, who else can save those we love?"_

* * *

_Minoku woke up sweating heavily. _

"W-w-w-w-" Her voice trembled as she shakily sat up. "It was incomplete, there was nothing." _Incomplete?! _she thought. She launched up at the thought and gazed at the blonde in pure terror. She glanced from the corner of her eyes at her surroundings. The hospital. She was at the hospital. An IV was dripping into her arm as a heart monitor sped up at her fear.

"Y-y-you're n-not going to-to-to do it... again?" The last word came out as a pitiful squeak. Iniochi shook his head with a weak chuckle. "To do it again could probably kill you-" Minoku paled. "-whether you know it or not your mind was fighting against my jutsu. But that wasn't the reason it was incomplete," he stated. "You have so little chakra, and it's so spread out as to keep you alive that it didn't have the _time _to keep all of your memories in place. It just stored them somewhere far past my reach. I only caught little snipets of conversations and images. Nothing that I've ever seen, that's for sure."

"Does... that mean?" she whispered. Inoichi nodded. "We have no reason _not _to believe your statement, nor do we have the proper evidence as to believe it either, entirely anyways. In all terms, your safe. Lord Hokage contacted the Land of Iron and they agreed to say you are one of their own. You now have birth records, a traveler's ID, and citizenship here in the Hidden Leaves." Iniochi smiled. "Welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village, Minoku-chan!" Minoku blushed slightly and nodded.

"P-please just call me Minoku, Inoichi-san," she mumbled. She blinked as he laughed. _Wait... it would take days to get all these-_

"How long have I been out for?"

He stopped laughing and glanced down sheepishly. "Um... about... a week and a half..." he muttered quietly, causing her to stiffen. _What? _She stopped dead. "A week... and a _half_?" she breathed as the last word rose an octave.

"The Uzumaki boy visited everyday, though he has yet to come today. I think he's cleaning up the graffiti from earlier."

_Naruto has been coming...? _Minoku thought in slight shock. She smiled sadly. _What a boy. I need to thank him... What does he like again? _She shook her head and sighed to herself. "When will I be allowed to leave?" she questioned. Inoichi grinned. "That's why I'm here. Once the doctor checks you out you'll be set to go. Lord Hokage has already bought you a house in the eastern sector of town, which you'll have to pay off once you begin your job at the academy-"

"My _what_?!"

He blinked. "Well that _was _what you told the Uzumaki boy, so we'll have to stick to it. Don't worry, the job pays pretty well, Iruka-san said so."

_I've never had a job... _Minoku thought as Inoichi called in the doctor, leaving the room himself. After a few minutes of the basic checkup, the doctor smiled and said she was good to go, though not to strain herself. She nodded as she walked out, a bit wobbly, to meet Inoichi. The man grinned and nodded himself as he said, "Come on, you're place is near my own. I've got a daughter your age you know?"

Something about that didn't seem to give Minoku a positive feeling.

* * *

**I wonder why?**

**Anyways, how was it? Good? Too cliche? Yes, she's the same age as Naruto, ignore the high school comment in the previous chapter. Took a while but I updated! Alright right? Chapter 3 is up next! Believe- *bricked* **


	3. Chapter 3

**What Lies At the End of the Rainbow: Chapter 3**

* * *

"Welcome, un." -Unknown

* * *

_Minoku had never taught anyone in her life. _

Ever. The most experience she had with teaching was when a kid tripped and she gave him a band aid. That was about it. Oh, and maybe that one class presentation she was given. But besides that, nothing. Now, standing on the nearest training field (Training Ground 15), surrounded by the most laziest, egotistic, emo, loud-mouthed, annoying, fan girling, hungriest kids in town, the sudden pressure of it all seemed too impending. She knew some of the kids in the crowd: Naruto and Ino for example.

Naruto, well, we all know how they met. But Ino and Minoku met when Inoichi had dragged Minoku to the family flower shop, where the young blonde had been working. The two took one look at each other before Ino thoroughly stated that "she absolutely knew _her _Sasuke-_kun _would never, _ever_ like a girl like _her_!" When Minoku had heard the rumor that Sasuke liked girls with long hair, Minoku had asked Inoichi to the nearest hair salon. There, she had six to seven inches of her hair cut until it was to her shoulders (luckily she could manage to put it in a small ponytail). Ino had been speechless and Minoku told herself just not to provoke the self-proclaimed "Sasuke-kun's future girlfriend."

She shivered at the thought.

She and Inoichi, surprisingly, got along pretty decently. He still added the -chan to her name, despite her protest, but other than that and Ino, they got along well. A few days prior, Inoichi had showed Minoku to a sword shop, where he'd not only bought her her own katana, but a training dummy and a tutor to teach her the basics to teach her soon-to-be students. She'd gotten the basics and then some. Luckily that she took kendo only a few months ago. You know, before she ended up sucked between a time-space-dimensional rift, somehow ending up in an old anime/manga she used to like. Apparently per usual. Sadly.

Minoku cleared her throat, trying to gain her student's (she will never get used to that) attention. The only one who even bothered to look was a small girl with dark hair and lilac eyes and Naruto, but only for a second before turning back to argue with the boy with the dog. She cleared her throat even louder, gaining some of the others attentions, like the lazy looking one and the one who wouldn't stop eating. She felt her eye twitch and her free hand clenched as a growl came from her throat. This caught the attentions of the rest of the boys', like the emo, the one with the dog, and Naruto. Not any of the girls (besides the tiny one) paid attention as they argued about "Sasuke-kun." Minoku finally hit the point. She was annoyed to the brink of trying to kill someone, and a few of the others glanced back at her, realizing her sudden bloodlust.

"I will give you to the count of three," she muttered darkly. The boys' seemed to freeze over. "One." Some of the girls froze, while the others continued bickering. "Two." The small girl winced, as did most of the boys besides the emo-looking one. _Why do I have a feeling that's Sasuke-kun? _Minoku thought in the depths of her sane mind. "Three." All of the girls froze over, turning slowly to face Minoku, who had a small, achieved smile on her face. _Ha, I can be scary, _she told herself. _Take that, Ryuu-kun! _Minoku pushed the feeling of homesickness down as she stared at her students.

"My name is Minoku Susuki," she introduced. "I'm going to be teaching you about the art of swordplay." _The little I know about it... _One of the girls, one with bright pink hair (_What, did she dye it?_), raised her hand. Minoku signaled to her.

"How come we've never seen you here before?" she asked. Minoku chuckled weakly. "W-well, I'm new here," she answered vaguely. "No kidding," Ino piped. "You're like my father's new best friend. Your all he talks about, like some school girl crush. Honestly." Minoku's smile became strained. "Alright, I'd like you to all introduce yourselves to me," she stated through clenched teeth. _Don't do anything stupid, _she reminder herself. _Inoichi-san will have to pay for it..._ Minoku smiled at the small girl, asking, "Will you give us your name, please?"

The girl nodded, her cheeks blaring red as she glanced at Naruto before stuttering, "M-my n-name is-is H-Hinata H-Hyuga." _Hinata! _Minoku remembered, giving herself an appreciated grin. _No wonder I like her, she was the most tolerable out of the other two who graduated. _"Alright, next person please!" Minoku called, feeling a lot more at ease. _If there's one thing I want to do here is talk to Hinata, _she decided. The lazy boy was named Shikamaru Nara (_Cl__oud boy, right?_), the emo one was, as she had guessed, Sasuke Uchiha, last of the loyal Uchihas to Konohagakure, the two loud mouths were Naruto and the one with the dog, Kiba Inuzuka the one who ate a ton was Choji Akimichi, and the two fangirls were Ino and Sakura Haruno, the girl who'd asked about Minoku earlier.

"Okay," she stated, clapping her hands for their attention. "I'm going to show you the basic stance for swordplay, though you can edit and revise for however comfortable you want." She scanned the crowd, looking for somebody who'd actually care, and sadly deduced that Sasuke seemed to be the only one actually sort of curious enough to actually know how to use a sword without doing something stupid. "Sasuke-san," she called, "would you like to demonstrate for the class?" The boy just, "Hn"-ed and walked up, grabbing the extra wooden sword and getting into position without being asked.

Sadly, the position was wrong.

"You need to move your feet out a bit, Sasuke-san," she stated, noticing his feet were right next to each other. He turned to glare at her in a strange form of shock. Naruto and Kiba broke out laughing in the background. "If your feet are too close, you could fall or loose your balance much more easily." Knowing the girls of the class were going to hate her, she bent down and signaled for Sasuke's foot to move where her hand was. He move it, begrudgingly, but he did. She nodded. "Is that easier to stand with than before?" she asked.

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes."

She glanced him over again, looking for anything else out of place. "Sasuke-san, can you move your right hand to the hilt of the katana?" she asked tenderly, knowing she treading very dangerous territory. He moved his hand and Minoku smiled. "That's the basic stance," she explained to the others as she turned away from Sasuke. "The feet have to be apart so that you don't get pushed back or fall too easily. Also, with your hands at the front and hind of the blade, you have better control. Even when or if you decide to adapt to a more suitable position, you always must have one of your hands at the hilt of the blade to have the best control over it." She turned to Sasuke and smiled. "Thank you, Sasuke-san."

She turned to the crowd. "Would anybody else like to try?"

Several of the boys' hands shot up, as well as a few girls (whose names she'd already forgotten) and knew that teaching kendo would be no easy task.

* * *

_Minoku felt like she was on a ride she never wanted to get off of. _

"Can I assume you had a good day, teaching the classes?" Iruka Umino asked as he helped pack up a few extra bamboo swords littering the ground (Did you honestly think she was going to trust them with real swords?). Minoku nodded with a smile. "I was really nervous at first, and even got a few stares from the classes my age at being their age and teaching, but soon after Sasuke-san went, I just sort of eased into it," she replied. "Sasuke-san?" Iruka repeated. "I haven't heard that one yet." Minoku shrugged.

"I saw it more fitting than Sasuke-kun. That'd just made me sound like Ino-chan and Sakura-chan."

"They're nice girls."

"I-I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that... I don't think Sasuke-san really is all that kid-like, like the -kun suggest."

Iruka nodded as he passed her the bag full of kendo sticks. "Where did you get these all anyways?" he asked. "Lord Hokage said he had some in storage from when he was in the Academy or so, apparently," Minoku answered as they walked to the Academy. "Thank you for offering to help me clean up, Umino-san," she added as she placed them in the supplies closet. "It would have taken me much longer had you not arrived!"

"No, it's okay," he replied smoothly. "It's your first day, and you're so young, I just wanted to make sure you got through all right." Minoku nodded and smiled, untying her small ponytail and ruffling her hair. Iruka seemed to hesitate for a moment, something she noticed, before asking, "How was Naruto?" Minoku smiled fondly. "He was loud, as usual, but seemed to pick up swordsmanship quite well. He got the stance the first time, though he had probably been paying attention the moment Sasuke-san was called up. He had a bit of trouble with finding a comfortable position that worked but he found one..."

"Anything else...?"

"He tried to attack Sasuke-san for a battle, but I stopped him."

Iruka sighed. "That's what I was looking for. I swear, that boy can never have a class without being called out on for something."

"Ironically, his attacking stance was flawless."

"Don't support him, Minoku-chan."

* * *

_To Minoku, something felt... off. _

Her apartment looked the same, it looked just as she had left it even. The bed was in the small room still, the sheets and covers still made. The fan was on, twirling softly and causing dust to erupt from the ceiling as well as the smell of some herb. Minoku coughed, fanning out the air in front of her mouth as she sneezed violently. The kitchen light was off and all the food she'd bought a day previous was still in there (even the dango, pocky, and chocolate). The cloths she'd set out to dry were finally dry (she really needed to find a laundry machine or something close to that) and the window sill was clean of dust.

_The fan was on_.

Minoku never left the fan on. And she didn't have any herbs, especially none that she was allergic to. The window sill was also clean of dust, and it was obvious by the ceiling dust that Minoku hadn't had a chance to dust yet. Her hands clenched and her whole body stiffen. Someone had been here. Recently. Today.

But were they still here?

Minoku turned around suddenly, horribly self-conscious to every little detail. _I need to tell Inoichi-san, _she thought stiffly. Her hand went to her katana, which was tucked safely behind her back. Her grip made her knuckles right. _Maybe it was just some stupid ninja who wanted to check my apartment out, _she tried telling herself. _I don't have anything of real value here. Not besides my katana or flower... _Minoku glanced by the kitchen window and saw her orange flower still there, basking in the sunlight.

Just as Minoku was about to leave, her open hand found something against the wall, on the fan switch. She stiffen as her fingers molded around the clay and lifted it up. She looked at the flat surface as terror rose inside her.

_Welcome, un._

* * *

_Minoku look like she'd seen a ghost when she'd entered the Yamanka Flower Shop._

Ino had been at the counter, trimming some flowers for a lady who was to pick them up later, when Minoku had stumbled in, her face ashen and white. She'd glared at the girl for a brief moment, only to realize that she wasn't tired or here to mock her for being able to be so close to her Sasuke-kun. She was honest to kami scare. "Ino-chan," MInoku whispered. "C-can you get Inoichi-san for me?" Ino nodded mutely, not to sure what to do. She gasped when her eyes unconsciously skimmed the dark-haired girl's body for anything unusual to find her left hand bleeding and blacken.

"You're hand-!"

"Go get Inoichi-san, dammit!" Minoku interrupted, causing the blonde to rush off. Less than a minute later, Inoichi rushed down. "Minoku-chan, what happen?" he demanded as he grabbed her left hand. She hissed in pain, unconsciously trying to pull her hand back as his grip tighten. "What happened?" he asked again in a quieter voice. "I-I don't know," Minoku whispered. "I just-it was-some had-" Inoichi grimaced, picking Minoku up as he held the sign for the Body Flicker Technique. "Ino, tell your mother I'll be back later!" he called before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

He reappeared at the hospital, checking Minoku in before teleporting to the Hokage's. "I need to see the Hokage," he told the secretary, making his way to the stairs. "Sir! He's in a meeting right now, can you pleas-!" the secretary winced as Inoichi interrupted with, "This is important!" The secretary seemed to understand as she said, "Can you at least let me tell Lord Hokage of your arrival?" Inoichi nodded hesitantly.

A few minutes later, with the O.K. to proceed, Inoichi entered the Hokage's office with nothing short of seriousness and anger. "Inoichi-san, what is it?" the Hokage asked, noticing the look in the blonde's eyes. "Someone else knows about Minoku," he stated simply. The Hokage seemed to stiffen. "Do you know who?" he asked. Inoichi shook his head. "Minoku wouldn't make sense when I confronted her. I admitted her into the hospital before I arrived, however."

The older man's brow furrowed in worry. "What happened to her? Was she attacked?" he demanded. Inoichi shrugged tiredly. "I don't know. Ino came running in stuttering about Minoku and her hand. Her hand seems to have been caught in a miniature form of an explosion of some sorts..." They were silent for a moment, mulling over their thoughts.

"Do you think it could be _him_?"

"There's no proof, but it could very likely be..."

"Yes. And the fact he may know Minoku is here in Konoha is never good. But I don't believe he was ever associated with bombs..."

"No. He wasn't. This could mean we have a much larger problem at hand than we first feared. There could be someone else who knows about her."

"Someone like Itachi?"

The Hokage didn't need to say any words. It was clear, that whoever had discovered Minoku was just like Itachi.

* * *

**Wow. Poor Minoku. Barely a week or so in Konoha and shit happens. Kami I suck. **

**Oh well~! She can deal with it! Besides, Inochi-san is there~~  
**

**Speaking of which, did I even do Inoichi right? I've never really seen Inoichi and I haven't read the manga so... If I'm doing him wrong, please say so in the comments and let me change him to fit his personality! I don't want any of the characters wrong!**

**Long over due chapter but I think I did good...**

**See ya'~**


	4. Hiatus

**I honestly have been loosing interest in writing any of the stories on this site, so many of them will be put on hiatus until further notice. I deeply apologize and hope you understand. I've grown, and I realize many of these stories are riddles with plot holes, complicated plots, and–dare I even say it–Mary Sues. I'm so, so, SO sorry to all you dedicated fans. I hope to come back, maybe rewrite, and hopefully–HOPEFULLY–be able to write these stories in a much better, truer light.**

**Again, I apologize.**


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